IOC Executive Board approves plans to establish two pilot regional safeguarding hubs in Southern Africa and the Pacific Islands


IOC Executive Board approves plans to establish two pilot regional safeguarding hubs in Southern Africa and the Pacific Islands

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board has approved plans to establish two pilot regional safeguarding hubs in Southern Africa and the Pacific Islands with a European hub to follow. 

An IOC statement said “The new regional hubs will act as central coordination points, and will provide athletes with independent guidance, and help them access psychosocial support, legal aid and any other assistance that they may need. This will be delivered through existing services, available locally, in the athletes’ own language and with an understanding of their culture and local context.”

The establishment of the pilot hubs will be overseen by an International Safe Sport Task Force, which will include representatives from sport, intergovernmental organisations and civil society. The IOC EB on Friday (13 October) approved the creation of the International Safe Sport Task Force, and also gave its green light for the drafting of an International Safe Sport Framework.

Chair of the IOC Safeguarding Working Group HRH Prince Feisal al Hussein said “With this initiative we are following up on the request of the Olympic Movement stakeholders to take the lead and to develop an approach which works locally. Over the past few months, we discussed how we can bridge the gap between the work being done internationally and locally to safeguard athletes. With the establishment of pilot regional safeguarding hubs in Southern Africa and the Pacific Islands, we are taking a bottom-up approach - critical in this field. We provide standardised principles that can be adapted on the local level, aligned with the culture and context. By the region, for the region.”

You can read the IOC statement here

You may also like

View All

Enhanced Games sues World Aquatics, WADA and USA Swimming for $800m

The privately funded 2026 Enhanced Games set to take place in Las Vegas allows athletes to use performance enhancing substances without being subject to drug tests. It is now suing World Aquatics, the World Anti-Doping Agency and USA Swimming for $800m after accusing them of orchestrating an unlawful effort to discourage athletes from participating

Read More

Serena Williams latest sportsperson to promote GLP-1 weight loss medication, fuelling criticism

23-time Grand Slam tennis champion Serena Williams is the latest sportsperson to promote weight loss medication like Ozempic, fuelling criticism over possibly encouraging toxic beauty standards, discouraging healthy habits, and the fact that she has affiliated herself with drugs that the World Anti-Doping Agency added to its monitored substances list

Read More

UKAD employs an all-female team of Doping Control Personnel for the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025

UKAD has employed an all-female team of Doping Control Personnel for World Rugby to assist with the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025. The tournament also features the largest cohort of female coaches in the event’s history

Read More